WHAT? WHERE?

Successful and highly sought-after, Kingston Grammar is a co-ed school in Kingston-upon-Thames – and a big contender on the London day-school circuit. Known for its impressive academic record and a sports hall-of-fame that will make you dizzy, it’s a school that seeks to foster well-rounded students – not just great results.

Far from an academic hothouse, the school’s motto ‘Work well and be happy‘ is at the crux of everything. Kingston Grammar takes a balanced approach, nurturing students’ personal development and encouraging them to explore a variety of interests. An extensive co-curricular programme that includes community service, alongside a system that closely monitors academic results in pupils who are grounded, personable, caring and successful.

Founded in 1561, Kingston Grammar’s history can be traced back to the 13th century. The school’s beautiful medieval Lovekyn Chapel is the only free-standing chantry chapel remaining in England, dating back to 1309.

Yet despite these origins, there’s not an ounce of the traditional and fusty old school you might associate with such an historic institution. This is a modern school that encourages independence and free thinking.

Kingston Grammar is a metropoliltan school and well-connected by public transport. Kingston Station is an easy five-minute walk. The 920-strong school community (aged 11-18) come from a wide area – mostly with a 45-minute journey time – including Kingston and Surbiton, Wimbledon, New Malden, Epsom, Claygate, Shepperton, Twickenham, Richmond, Clapham and Wandsworth. They’re a varied bunch coming from more than 90 different junior schools. Interestingly, about 40% come from prep schools with the remaining 60% from state primaries.

Entry is selective but KGS looks for potential as much as raw ability, so whilst candidates sit an exam in English and maths, the school also places value on the interview.

FACILITIES

Occupying a central location on London Road in Kingston-upon-Thames, KGS’s main campus is compact and contemporary with a decidedly grown-up feel. Every ounce of space is put to clever use, so there’s everything you’d expect from a leading senior school.

A new Sixth Form Centre opened in 2024 paving the way for planned growth within the school. Just off the main campus, a one-minute walk along London Road, it’s a bright and contemporary building set over three floors. There’s a wonderfully grown-up café-cum-common room that wouldn’t look out of place on a university campus, plus study areas, classrooms and offices.

Back on the main campus, the modern Queen Elizabeth II Centre (QEII), is a hub for the arts. Its centrepiece is The Michael Frayn Theatre with state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment, special effects technology and a sprung floor. There’s tiered seating for up to 200. The Baxter Gallery, a three-story atrium-style gallery that showcases student art, and the Hawkes Café for Upper School pupils, are also here. The library is in the traditional London Road building, linked to QEII.

Elsewhere, there are DT workshops equipped with tools including laser cams and 3D printers, four art studios, a ceramics studio, and a photography dark room. Plus, there’s the Finlay Gallery which also functions as an ICT suite. The music school includes a recording studio, green room, music classrooms and practice pods.

Ditton Field, the sports facilities at Kingston Grammar.

Shall we talk sport? Facilities are at Ditton Field, a 22-acre site on the River Thames overlooking Hampton Court Palace, a 10-minute drive away. Impressive? It really is! There are five football pitches, five cricket squares, six cricket nets, two astro hockey pitches plus an astro training area, a long-jump pit, and six netball and tennis courts. There’s also a cricket pavilion and a main sports pavilion, plus a boathouse.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Kingston Grammar has recently purchased a 5,000 square metre plot of land across the road from the school. Plans for its eventual use are still to be decided, but alongside increased specialist teaching space, facilities for sport and the arts have been discussed. Watch this space.

SPORT

The jewel in a glittering crown, sport at Kingston Grammar School is oh-so-mighty and there’s a bulging trophy cabinet and umpteen honour boards as a reminder. Hockey and rowing are the biggies – the school has turned out reams of international and Olympic athletes including Olympic rowing gold medalists James Cracknell and Sophie Hosking, and GB hockey players Sarah Evans, Jack Waller and Zach Wallace. The school’s sports coaches also include top-level athletes with three GB Olympians among them (two hockey, one rowing).

Tennis is popular during the summer months, and the school is enjoying increasing success in across all age groups.

Unusually for an independent school, rugby doesn’t feature. Alongside hockey, rowing and tennis, it’s football, cricket and netball. There’s plenty on the co-curricular programme, too, including golf, boxercise, athletics and futsal.

All pupils take part in two PE lessons over a two-week timetable, plus a games afternoon once a week. There’s just as much emphasis on inclusivity and developing healthy habits as there is on contributing to the trophy cabinet.

THE ARTS

For a school that has such a strong sporting reputation, you’d be forgiven for thinking the arts take second fiddle. But you’d be wrong.

The spectacular QEII building is testament to KGS’s commitment to the arts – and a wander through the Baxter Gallery will tell you everything you need to know about it. The art is phenomenally good. It’s no surprise to learn that each year several students go on to study architecture, art and design or history of art at prestigious universities and art schools. The annual Summer Art Exhibition is a highlight on the school calendar.

Music and drama are timetabled lessons in First and Second Year (Years 7-8); and from Third Year (Year 9) both are optional. Students can also take independent music lessons – and about 20% do. There are 27 different choirs, orchestras, bands and music ensembles.

The co-curricular programme is also brimming with performance opportunities. There are three main school productions each year, as well as house drama and dance competitions, a First Year Showcase, Lamda and theatre clubs. Every other year, Sixth Form students can perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

ACADEMICS

Students in a science class at Kingston Grammar.

Kingston Grammar is known for its strong academics with a focus on challenging students and encouraging independent thinking. The curriculum is diverse and in the first three years students study a wide range of subjects. The aim is to lay the foundations for good work habits and instil in pupils the skills and confidence to be curious and creative thinkers.

In First and Second Year, students learn two modern languages (from German, French, Spanish and Italian) as well as Latin. In addition there is a very popular Sixth Form-led Japanese language co-curricular club.

Alongside the usual maths, English, sciences, humanities and ICT subjects, First- and Second-Year students are taught music, drama, DT, religion and philosophy, and PSHE. In Third Year, there’s more choice with a core curriculum and a choice of three options. Maths is set from halfway through the First Year.

Tutor groups throughout the Lower School are small with an average of 24 pupils, and class sizes in the Upper School and Sixth Form are even smaller allowing for more dedicated teaching and individual support.

Kingston Grammar is a Microsoft school, and all First-Year students are issued with a device which they use during their time at KGS. In subjects like DT, suites of devices are equipped with specialist software (such as CAD).

At GCSE, Kingston Grammar pupils do exceptionally well. In 2024, close to 85% achieved grades 9-7, and of those two-thirds were the top grades 9 and 8.

SIXTH FORM

The Sixth Form is going from strength to strength – complemented by the swanky new Sixth Form Centre. Sixth Formers are afforded greater freedoms and independence in a bid to prepare them for life after KGS.

There are almost 270 pupils across the two year groups: 131 in Upper Sixth and, in line with the expansion plans, 147 in Lower Sixth. The plan is to continue growing, taking each cohort to around 175 pupils.

Most Sixth Formers at Kingston Grammar take an EPQ (Extended Project Qualifications) alongside studying for three A Levels. Twenty-six subjects are offered. PSHE is also a timetabled subject, and all pupils have an afternoon of games every week. All students attend a fortnightly Sixth Form lecture from expert external speakers.

In Sixth Form, tutor groups are vertical meaning they’re comprised of pupils in both Lower and Upper Sixth. Each group has up to 15 students, and tutors meet with their students every morning to track academic progress and provide support across academic, social and emotional development.

All students receive one-to-one support with UCAS applications, including those looking at international universities and Oxbridge.

For pupils interested in studying competitive courses such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and architecture and those looking at degree apprenticeships, there’s interview coaching.

2024 was a brilliant year for A Levels at KGS, with the cohort achieving the school’s best-ever results. An incredible 73% of all grades were at A*-A, of which 31% were A*, and 95% of grades were A*-B.

Seven students achieved a clean sweep of four A*s and 12 students achieved three A*s. Impressive.

Even more impressive is the list of leavers destinations, with more than 90% going to Russell Group universities. In 2024, a handful accepted places at Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College, Harvard and Tilburg University in the Netherlands.

PASTORAL CARE

The school’s Ac Laetari (‘Be happy’) wellbeing programme is integrated
into daily life at KGS – permeating across all levels and all aspects. It’s a friendly and supportive atmosphere, where kindness is valued.

The house system is central to everything at Kingston Grammar, and this helps to build strong pastoral foundations and relationships throughout the school. There are six houses (including two new ones introduced in 2016 and 2024) – and each form tutor group comprises students from one of these six houses.

Pastorally, the form tutor will be their first point of contact for most students but there are also trained mental health first aiders, counsellors and school nurses on hand, as well as a Learning Support team. Form tutors are assisted by heads of year and assistant heads of year. A tracking system also keeps tabs on all pastoral (and academic) concerns.

In First Year, trained Sixth Form prefects also act as mentors. All First Year students have a Second Year buddy who they meet for breakfast in the first few weeks.

Whilst the academics are important at Kingston Grammar, equal weight goes to pupils’ personal growth and development. The school wants KGS students to develop the life skills they’ll need for the wider world – and the co-curricular programme plays a central part. It’s all about balance, developing new skills and perhaps challenging yourself to go outside your comfort zone.

Forget wrapping pupils in cotton wool, this is about equipping them with the skills to cope when they hit bumps in the road – promoting qualities like grit and determination, rather than resilience, and respect rather than tolerance.

The school’s motto – Work well and be happy – says it all.

THE HEAD

Students with the head master Stephen Lehec at Kingston Grammar.

Stephen Lehec has been the head at Kingston Grammar for 10+ years arriving in 2014 from Aylesbury Grammar in Bucks where he spent eight years, six as head. Before that, he was at Maidstone Grammar in Kent for 12 years.

Warm, chatty and open, he’s down-to earth and easy to get along with. It chimes with own educational journey through the state system to Southampton University and then Oxford University. As a sports lover, his initial plan was to become a PE teacher, but after a re-think he did a joint honours degree in history and English. He still teaches history to KGS students.

In the time he’s been at KGS, he’s achieved a lot, not least the recent unveiling of the Sixth Form Centre. School numbers, too, have grown – from 800 when he started to more than 900. The aim is to continue that growth to around 1,100.

There are plans, too, to update the existing Fairfield Building to create a brand-spanking-new science and tech centre thanks to a generous donation from alumnus John Bridgen and his wife Leslie. Expect upgraded labs, cutting-edge technology, collaboration spaces and a lecture hall.

Stephen’s goal at Kingston Grammar is to create a happy and fulfilled school community. and credits the four pillars for achieving that. It involves academic success, student wellbeing, co-curricular engagement and a strong culture of service.

Stephen has two daughters – the eldest a former KGS pupil and the youngest a current KGS pupil – and lives with his wife and family in Thames Ditton.

When he’s off-duty he enjoys playing padel, tennis and five-a-side football, going for walks along with trips to the cinema and theatre. Oh, and as a long-time fan, and season ticketholder for Crystal Palace Football Club.

QUIRKS

Boys playing hockey at Kingston Grammar.

An independent school that doesn’t play rugby? Have you ever heard of such a thing? You have now! Hockey reigns supreme at KGS along with, to a slightly lesser degree, rowing and cricket. There’s a remarkably long list of sporting greats on the honour boards – and not a single one for rugby.

WRAP AROUND CARE

Breakfast is available from 7.30am. The library is open every day until 4.45pm and the Sixth Form Centre until 6pm.

The co-curricular programme is huge at Kingston Grammar with about 100 different clubs and societies on offer before, during and after school.

Students from Third Year up can take part in Combined Cadet Forces, and the Duke of Edinburgh award is offered in Third Year (Bronze), Fourth (Silver) and Sixth form (Gold). All students are also expected to get involved in community service

ISI REPORT

The most recent full ISI inspection was in December 2024 – read the report here. A material change inspection took place in June 2024 – read the report here.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Mobile phones are banned from being used in school for all students in the First to Fifth Year. Sixth From students are allowed to use phones to support their learning in dedicated parts of the Sixth Form Centre.

TRANSPORT

Most pupils use public transport to get to Kingston Grammar. Kingston Station is five-minutes’ walk, and the Cromwell Road bus station is three-minutes’ away. There are excellent train and bus links from most of southwest London and Surrey.

FEES

From spring 2025: termly fees are £9,540 inclusive of VAT. Lunch is an optional £350 per term.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Students playing cricket at Kingston Grammar.

KGS is well-regarded for its excellent academics – and there’s no doubt it’s one of the deciders for choosing the school. One parent said students were challenged, but it was measured – and certainly not a hothouse environment.

Families also like that sport, music and drama is taken seriously, and several parents were impressed by the strong co-curricular programme. Of course, everybody raved about the new Sixth Form centre.

When asked to describe the school, they most often summed up with the words: down-to-earth, diverse and academic.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Student with a teacher at Kingston Grammar.

Good for: Rowers and hockey players, and anyone else who loves sport. But it’s a solid all-rounder school where every child will find their place whether that’s in the arts, music or sport. Its metropolitan location is great for older students’ growing independence.

Not for: Stuffy tweeds and pearl types; this is a super-friendly, inclusive place.

Dare to disagree? Visit the school to see it for yourself. The next open events are in June 2025. Register your interest here.

Kingston Grammar School, 70 London Rd, Kingston upon Thames KT2 6PY. Tel: 020 8546 5875.

Kingston Grammar School, Kingston-upon-Thames

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